Archive for month: September, 2014

The transition from summer to fall continues this week. On tap, we’ll have slightly cooler temperatures dropping into the mid-60s through the weekend. Expect a few clouds to hover over the Basin for most of the week and a chance of rain on Wednesday. Smoke from the King Fire will continue to plague Lake Tahoe (Sorry to all IRONMAN participants), but firefighters are working hard to get the fire under control.

With the last of the summer races gone, it’s time to start training hard for Battle of the Paddle, the biggest event in the sport. Battle is just over a week away and we hope to have a huge Tahoe presence. This year’s new venue at Salt Creek should make the last race of the season a very exciting one. The spot is more exposed and will see larger surf than the previous location.

If you don’t mind the smoke, there is still plenty of paddling to be done on Lake Tahoe. Rentals will be available through the end of the month. Plus, South Tahoe Stand-up is liquidating their rental fleet in anticipation of next year’s new arrivals. Great boards from Riviera are available for as low as $299. Check out Craigslist for the full listings.

As far as events go, things are pretty quiet this week. Continuing the rise of SUP popularity in Europe, Germany and the U.K. will host a pair of races. On that note, the SUP Paris Crossing, a 400-person race down the River Seine (yes, past the Eiffel Tower) in December, is already sold out.

Congratulations to Connor Baxter and Candice Appleby for sweeping the Huntington Beach Pro last weekend. Both Baxter and Appleby won the distance races and the sprint races. The win means Baxter will be crowned the champion of the Stand Up World Series with one event still left to go. Full results from the Huntington Beach Pro can be found on SUPracer.com.

Looks like another week of late summer sun here at Lake Tahoe. Temperatures will range from the upper 70s to low 80s during the day. Evening lows will be in the high 40s. A chance of thunderstorms is predicted for the weekend. Winds will pick up in the afternoons to around 15 mph from the southeast, look but expect more morning glass.

There are no big events slated for Lake Tahoe this week. With the summer crowds mostly gone, it probably won’t be too hard to score some shoreline all to yourself. Water temperatures are hovering in the mid-60s, so swimming is still an option. Check out UC Davis’ live monitoring system or our webcam for current conditions.

Last week went out with a bang. On Saturday, dozens of people hit the water to show their support for the South Tahoe Cancer League (photos here). On Sunday, racers in the 22-mile Fall Classic launched from El Dorado Beach. Jay Wild won the 14-foot division and Rob Rojas topped the elite division. South Tahoe Juniors also had a great finish in the 6-man outrigger canoe class and the trandem class. Congratulations to everyone who completed the long haul.

On the national front, we’ve got races in San Francisco (The Battle of the Bay) and another Standup World Series stop in Huntington Beach. Battle of the Paddle is just a few weeks away and preparations have begun. With a new venue at Salt Creek State Park, we’ll be watching conditions carefully.

Fall is California’s surf season. The waves, the wind, the weather all seem to line up right about now. I’ve been a little surf-obsessed lately, watching every video I can with waves in it. I found one video this week that really got me psyched to surf and paddle— though probably not at Shipstern’s.

Another fine week on tap in Lake Tahoe. Temperatures will range from mid- to high-70s, cialis dropping to high 40s in the evenings. Winds will rise in the afternoons to around 10 mph. The weekend is expected to be partially cloudy. As always, you can check out our live cam for current conditions at El Dorado Beach.

The big news this week is the Paddle Against Cancer event. Head to El Dorado Beach at 8:30 a.m. Entry fee is $45 and includes lunch. All proceeds go to the South Tahoe Cancer League.

Also, this Sunday marks the final race in the Tahoe Cup series. The Tahoe Fall Classic, the legendary 22-mile race across the lake kicks off Sept. 14 from El Dorado Beach. Organizers are expecting more than 150 competitors and are offering $20,000 in prize money.

September is a fairly popular month for standup paddle events. Races will be held in Camp Pendleton, California, Charleston, South Carolina, Austin, Texas, Canada and the U.K. Looking for something farther ahead? Check out Supracer’s Rogue Race Calender.

Each week, I try to post a wild paddle-related video in the blog. Sometimes it’s tough to find something that I think everyone will find interesting. This week that was not the case. I had to choose between surfing sternweheeler wakes in the Columbia River Gorge, fighting a 600-pound sturgeon on a paddleboard or what happens when you run over a manatee while paddling.. They’re all worth checking out, but the manatee won out.

With a great Labor Day under our belt, cialis sale we’re looking forward to the final weeks of summer. The weather forecast is looking entirely sunny for the next seven days. Temperatures will be in the 70s during the day, dropping to the mid-40s at night. Winds will be light, building to 5 mph to 10 mph in the afternoon.

We had an amazing turnout at the last Wednesday night race of the season. Thanks to everyone who participated throughout our 13 weeks here at El Dorado Beach. We can hardly wait until next year. A big shout out goes to Brian Walker, who shot and posted photo galleries of every Wednesday night race this season on our Facebook page.

On the national front, Southern California paddlers scored during last week’s hurricane swell. The wedge saw waves of up to 30 feet. Paddler Noa Ginella made news with a short barrel on his 12’6” race board. The video shows some pretty epic cutbacks, floaters and slashes too. Check it out below.

Northern Hemisphere events continue with New York’s 100 Mile Paddle. The eighth and final stop in Switzerland’s SUP Tour Schweiz takes place Sept. 6-7 in Thun. Whiskeytown Reservoir near Redding, California will host the California Paddle on Sept. 6. Additional races will be held in Florida, Washington and Hawaii.